Method and System for Filing and Monitoring Electronic Claim Submissions in Multi-Claimant Lawsuits

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to systems and methods for filing and monitoring electronic claim submissions in proceedings involving a large number of claimants, such as securities class action lawsuits, estate dissolutions, arbitrations, and bankruptcies. The systems and methods create an easy-to-use and convenient way for institutions and individual claimants to register their claim relief upon judgment or settlement.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/354,073, entitled “Method and System for Filing and MonitoringElectronic Claim Submissions in Multi-Claimant Lawsuits,” filed on Jan.15, 2009, which application is incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

FIELD OF TIM INVENTION

The invention relates to systems and methods for filing and monitoringelectronic claim submissions in proceedings involving a large number ofclaimants, such as securities class action lawsuits, estatedissolutions, arbitrations, and bankruptcies. The systems and methodscreate an easy-to-use and convenient way for institutions and individualclaimants to register their claim relief upon judgment, settlement orother resolution. Although the present disclosure has applicabilitybeyond securities fraud class action lawsuits, the present disclosurewill describe the use of the systems and methods in the context of asecurities fraud class action lawsuit with the understanding that thoseskilled in the art having the present disclosure before them can applythe teachings of this invention to other contexts.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Securities litigations are frequently filed as class action lawsuits, atype of lawsuit where one person files a claim or claims in court onbehalf of a large group of similarly situated people and entities (the“class”). The proposed class must consist of a group of individuals orentities that have suffered a common injury or injuries. Typically thesecases result from an action, generally a disclosure, by a business or aparticular product defect or policy that was publicly disclosed andavailable to the investing public. Securities fraud or other classaction lawsuits can also result from a company failing to disclosedetrimental information, that resulted in a change in the price of thecompany's stock to the detriment of a class of shareholders.

The identity of all of the members of the class of plaintiffs is usuallyunknown at the beginning of a securities lawsuit. Generally, a complaintis filed by one or more plaintiffs on behalf of the class. In order toindicate that class action status is sought, the phrase “and otherssimilarly situated” can be incorporated into court documents. The numberof class members may increase (or decrease) over time as additionalplaintiffs are identified or the class definition changes. The classmembers can be identified during discovery proceedings, or after noticesare distributed and responded to. The class definition also may berevised by the court, which might alter the size of the class byexcluding or including potential class members.

Upon application by the plaintiffs or the parties collectively, thecourt will certify a class. Thereafter, the defendant(s) may generate alist of potential claimants. This list can be used to contact thepotential class members to provide “notice,” i.e., advise them of thependency or settlement of the action. Notice is then provided to theclass by mailing class notices and/or running advertisements innewspapers, via the Internet, on radio or television, or through similarcommunications outlets.

When a class action lawsuit is decided in court or is settled out ofcourt, each eligible claimant will receive relief according to thejudgment or settlement through an administration process. In the past,administration of a securities class action lawsuit has been acumbersome process, in part because classes are usually very large.These administrations often require claimants to submit through the maillarge volumes of forms and documents to submit and support their claims.These submissions may be made via e-mail or regular mail, but in eithercase, documents and information would need to be scanned and/or inputtedinto a database system by hand.

The transaction costs associated with processing the tens of thousandsof claims, or more, that are received by mail can be significant.Although e-mails are less cumbersome than regular mail and are used inever growing numbers, receipt of the information through e-mail haspresented the same difficulties as receipt through the mail—there hasbeen no uniformity, no way of tracking and no specific method oforganization of e-mails or any attachments without significantlyincreasing transaction costs. With both e-mails and paper files, therehas been difficulty in maintaining proper organization of files withoutthe potential of losing or misplacing information relating to claims. Ofcourse, where regular mail is used this cost is further increased. Wheree-mails are used, there is the added possibility that malicious code canbe imported into a database inadvertently. Even though these e-mailspass through a perimeter firewall and virus protection is used asignificant risk of infection still exists.

The transaction costs arising from the administration frequently arepaid from the settlement fund. Therefore, the total distribution in theclass action lawsuit, and the amount that each eligible claimant mayrecover can be significantly diminished by the administration costsassociated with this mailing procedure, the costs of other attempts ofnotifying the class members, and the costs of the claims processing.

Accordingly, there is a need for a simple, easy to use system and methodfor filing claims relating to a class action lawsuit, validating theclaims, tracking the administrative process and communicating the statusof the claims processing to claimants, and overseeing disbursement ofrelief.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a system for filing and monitoring electronicclaim submissions via a computer server in a multi-claimant proceedingcomprising a graphical user interface hosted by the computer serverdirected to end user terminals across the Internet for displayinginformation about a multi-claimant proceeding and facilitating inputtingof information regarding institutions, end users and claimants andfacilitating uploading of files from the end user terminals; a firstdatabase operably connected to the graphical user interface; code forassociating pointers with files supporting at least one claim residingon the end user terminals; and anti-virus code for scanning the filesfor malicious code by following the respective pointers allowing each ofthe files to be scanned by the anti-virus software for malicious codeafter being uploaded to the computer server.

The invention also relates to a method for filing and monitoringelectronic claim submissions via a computer server in a multi-claimantproceeding comprising providing a graphical user interface on thecomputer server for access by an end user via the Internet; registeringan institution on the computer server to create an institutionaldatabase record; registering an end user associated with the registeredinstitution on the computer server to create an end user profile;receiving information regarding a claimant via the graphical userinterface and storing the information regarding the claimant on adatabase associated with the computer server; and storing filessupporting a claim directly from a registered end user into the databaseassociated with the computer server. The documentation required to proveeligibility of a claimant can vary. It may include, but is not limitedto, a proof of claim form, a signature verification document, a dataverification document, and an authorization document. Other documentsthat may be required are stock certificates, proof of purchase, andproof of sales. The potential claimants can be identified by thedefendant, provided to the company administering the litigation bybrokers, or generated by mailings and advertisements in newspapers, viathe Internet, on radio or television, or through similar communicationsoutlets.

Through the robustness of the present method, the invention hasapplication to an institution filing claims in numerous litigations onbehalf of its customers, with each litigation having potentiallyhundreds of claimants being managed by that one institution. Inaddition, many claimants may have claims based upon multipletransactions. The present systems and methods support the institution'sability to track all of the claims filed on behalf of all of itscustomers (the claimants), including the underlying transactions, bypresenting a graphical user interface that provides streamlinedinteraction and access to this information to facilitate the recordkeeping of each institution in regards to its participation in theadministration of the resolution of one or more lawsuits.

In an aspect of the invention, the administrator of the resolution of alawsuit (“administrator”), an institutional contact, and an end user mayeach have the ability to view and potentially modify informationrelating to the administration of claims based upon their authority. Therights to both view and modify information are dependent upon theirstatus and authority. Of course, because of the robustness of the methodabove, an administrator, an institutional contact, and/or an end usercan easily navigate between multiple lawsuits, multiple claimants,multiple claims, and multiple transactions, where they may view input,or modify the records in a single session.

In general, the claim process as described herein may comprise sixsteps. Step 1 provides for users connecting to a graphical userinterface, which may be via a website, through a secure SSL channel orHTTPS. End users will input information to a database and may uploadfiles to a web server after being authenticated or validated against anauthentication filter. Step 2 provides for invocation of an anti-virusprocess that runs on the web server to check whether uploaded files areinfected with any viruses. If the files are not infected, step 3provides for the scanned files to be moved to another location on theweb-server, after encryption using an open source encryption scheme. Ifencryption or copying fails at any point for any file, again the processcan be terminated. Step 4 provides for persisting to the database all ofthe related user inputs for a current upload process. This includessaving control totals and file names to the database. Step 5 providesfor a transient, or intermediate, web server to keep polling a clusterof intermediate web servers for any new files in the respective folders.If any new files are found, they are pulled onto a path within itself.Subsequently, this transient, or intermediate, web server decrypts thefiles and copies them to a file server, thereby completing the uploadprocess. Step 6 provides for a communication mechanism that sends anautomatic notification of receipt of a claim.

In another aspect of the invention, the end user can log into the systemand monitor the claims that the user had previously filed. The end usercan check for claim status and deficiencies, and file additionaldocuments as required to prove eligibility of a particular claimant.However, the end user may only review status and file additionaldocuments relating to claims initially filed by that end user. Inaddition, during the course of the process, the end user may receivecommunications from system relating to claims filed by that end user.

If the end users are affiliated with an institution, that institutioncan be registered with the company administering the lawsuit. Theinstitution could name one or more individuals as specific contacts,should any institutional information be required, or to validate the endusers. In one aspect of the invention, only the institutional contactcan modify the institution's database record. The institution's databaserecord can comprise administrative information from an institution andthe people authorized to act upon the institution's behalf, or for thoseclaimants authorizing the institution to act on their behalf. Incontrast to a single end user, the institutional contact(s) may reviewstatus and file documents, edit the institutional database record, andwill receive communications relating to all claimants whose claims werefiled by an end user affiliated with that institution. The institutionalcontact can also either preauthorize an end user or delete an end userif e.g., that end user is no longer employed by the institution.

In yet another aspect of the invention, the systems and the methods ofthe invention allow for end users being able to modify their profiles.In one aspect, the end users can be employees of an institution, whichwas registered with the company administering the lawsuit.Alternatively, an individual user may access the system of the inventionafter registration and validation and file his or her own claim.

The invention relates to systems and methods of tracking and monitoringthe administration of class action lawsuit resolutions, without the needto coordinate significant amounts of paper mail and documentation and/orelectronic mail and documentation each of which would require an extremeamount of effort to scan in and manage. In addition, the system of theinvention can be accessed immediately upon end user registration, ratherthan registering and having to wait until a later date to begin enteringand filing claims. The only requirement is that the end user, who isfiling the claims, must be associated with a previously registeredinstitution. In the case of an individual investor, they would need toregister and be validated as an “institution” prior to filing theirclaim.

In one aspect of the invention, the end user does not need to bevalidated immediately. Rather, the end user can register and file one ormore claims immediately, and without delay, as these types ofproceedings often have deadlines that must be met. By validating the enduser after the end user has already filed one or more claims, valuabletime can be saved, and court-ordered claims deadlines are less likely tobe missed because of system requirements.

In one aspect of the invention, all files inputted by the end user maybe initially associated with pointers to those files as they sit on theend user's computer. The use of such pointers thus enables the files tobe scanned for malicious code after their being uploaded across theInternet to a web server. The documents may first be uploaded via atransient server to a transient database, after which they may bescanned for malicious code. The malicious code scanning can be performedat predetermined intervals to ensure that no malicious code is uploadedfrom the transient database through a second firewall onto an internaldatabase via an internal server. The secure server and firewall can belocated with the company that administers the litigation or can belocated at a remote site. The software used to scan the files formalicious code can be updated at regular intervals, as well as when newcomputer viruses are uncovered.

These and other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will beapparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the presentdrawings, specifications, and claims before them. It is intended thatall such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages beincluded within this description, be within the scope of the disclosure,and be protected by the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The invention may be better understood by references to the detaileddescription when considered in connection with the accompanyingdrawings. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale,emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of theinvention. In the figures, like reference numerals designatecorresponding parts throughout the different views.

FIG. 1 depicts the novel system of the invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a second aspect of the system of the invention.

FIGS. 3A-3D illustrate a flow chart depicting the process of filing aclaim by an institutional end user and the transmission of messagesbetween the internal server and the internal network, a registeredinstitution and a registered end user, respectively.

FIG. 4 is an illustrative view of a graphical user interface ofexemplary institution registration screen.

FIGS. 5-7 are illustrative views of graphical user interfaces ofexemplary user registration screens.

FIG. 8 is an illustrative view of instructions for filing a claim.

FIG. 9 is an illustrative view of how to select a case, where cases arelisted by letter.

FIG. 10 is an illustrative view of case information for the selectedcase.

FIG. 11 is an illustrative view of a graphical user interface for theupload of supporting documentation.

FIG. 12 is an illustrative view of a confirmation page.

FIG. 13 is an illustrative view of how transaction files can beuploaded.

FIG. 14 is an illustrative view relating to formatting specifications.

FIG. 15 is an illustrative view of how control totals can be entered.

FIGS. 16-17 are illustrative views of the history and status ofpreviously filed claims.

FIGS. 18A-18B and 19A-19B are illustrative views depicting how case datais entered into a new database.

FIGS. 20A-20H are illustrative of database architecture for a system asexemplified herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms,the drawings and discussions are presented with the understanding thatthe present disclosure is an exemplification of the principles of one ormore inventions and is not intended to limit any one of the inventionsto the embodiments illustrated.

FIG. 1 illustrates the novel system 100 of the invention. Specifically,institutions 105 a, 105 b, 105 x and individual users 110 can submitclaims and supporting documentation to a company overseeing theadministration of a class action lawsuit via the Internet 120 from enduser, or client, terminals 115 a, 115 b, 115 x. The Internet 120 as usedherein is intended to convey the meaning of a generally availablenetwork that is not confined to access by a single specific company.This includes a virtual private network between an end user and anadministrator, as well as a connection over a private cable TV IPnetwork.

The end user terminals 115 a, 115 b, 115 x may be general purposecomputers that may have, among other elements, a microprocessor (such asfrom the Intel Corporation or AMD); volatile and non-volatile memory;one or more mass storage devices (i.e., a hard drive); various userinput devices, such as a mouse, a keyboard, or a microphone; and a videodisplay system. In one aspect, the general-purpose computer may becontrolled by the WINDOWS XP operating system. It is contemplated,however, that the present system would work equally well using aMACINTOSH computer or even another operating system such as a WINDOWSVISTA, UNIX, LINUX or a JAVA based operating system, to name a few.

It is contemplated that each of the end user terminals 115 may beconnected via the Internet to the web server of a multi-claimantadministration system. FIG. 1 illustrates the web server as having atransient server 150, an internal server 170, a transient database 155,and an internal database 180. The transient server 150 and the transientdatabase 155 are so named because the files, information documents thatare being uploaded are generally only resident for a relatively shortand essentially predetermined time. After the files, information, anddocumentation are ultimately uploaded to the internal database 180, theymay be deleted from the transient web server and the transient database.The transient server 150 may include a first graphical user interface140 that may be operably connected to the transient database 155.

In one aspect of the invention, both the transient 150 and internal 170web servers and transient and internal databases of the system can beremote web servers and databases. Alternatively, the web servers anddatabases can be onsite at the system's place of business. The webservers can be one of many commercially available web servers including,but not limited to Tomcat web servers, Apache web servers, Microsoft,web servers. Google web servers, lighttpd web servers, and nginx webservers. The web servers can be based on one of many operating systemsincluding, but not limited to UNIX, LINUX, MAC OS, or Windows (XP,VISTA, etc.). It is contemplated, however, that any suitable web servermay be used for the present invention.

In one aspect of the invention shown in FIG. 2, the system can be hostedon a cluster of web servers, which may be LINUX based. Each request canbe routed to a specific server by a load balancer. The load balancerdecides which server should process a request based upon the currentrequest-load of the available server(s). The database(s) can be, but arenot limited to, SQL databases (by Microsoft and others), Oracledatabases, 4^(th) Dimension databases, InterBase databases, and Apachedatabases. It is contemplated, however, that any suitable database maybe used for the present invention.

In one aspect of the invention, the uploaded files are initially storedon the web server itself. A LINUX based intermediate server pulls theseuploaded files from the web server and places them within a path initself. A separate process that runs on the intermediate server can copythese files to a LINUX based file server.

Applications of this type can be built and programmed using one of manydifferent types of architecture including, but not limited to J2EE (Java2 Platform, Enterprise Edition) and Microsoft .NET platform, UNIX Daemonplatform, and CORBA platform. It is contemplated, however, that anysuitable platform can be used to build the code of the present system.

Connection to the web server on end user terminals 115 would use one ofmany available internet browsers including, but not limited to,Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Apple's Safari, and Mozilla's Firefox.Via the Internet 120, the end users access the first graphical userinterface 140, which may be an http-based website, although othergraphical user interfaces can be used with the present system. The firstthe graphical user interface 140 is accessed by an end user and is usedto input information regarding one or more claims (some specifics ofwhich are discussed below).

The information entered by an end user via the first graphical userinterface 140 can be encrypted before transmission over the Internet foradditional security. There are several commercially available encryptionprograms or algorithms available including, but not limited to, PC1Encryption Algorithm, TrueCrypt, a Symantec encryption program,Blowfish, and Guardian Edge. In one aspect of the invention, theencryption algorithm can be a free to use open source 128-bit encryptionalgorithm. Symmetric algorithms can be used to encrypt the data. Thesecan use key lengths of 40, 56, 64, 80, 128, or 256 bits. In one aspectof the invention, a password of 128 bits can be used (i.e., a passwordconsisting of 16 characters to encrypt/decrypt the file that is beinguploaded). It is contemplated, however, that any suitable encryptionalgorithm or program can be used in the present system. The informationcan be decrypted by the transient, or intermediate server 150 and movedto the internal server 170, prior to storage on the internal database180.

The graphical user interface 140 also facilitates the uploading offiles. When files are identified for upload, they are each tagged withpointers via pointer code 130, so that, after the files are actuallyphysically uploaded to the web server, the documentation can be scannedfor malicious code on the end user terminal 115 by anti-virus code 135.Anti-virus code 135 can detect and remove or repair malicious code.Alternatively, if malicious code is detected, the entire process can beterminated. In one aspect, the Clam Antivirus code is an open source(GPL) anti-virus toolkit for UNIX, and designed especially for e-mailscanning and document scanning on mail gateways. It provides a number ofutilities including a flexible and scalable multi-threaded daemon, acommand line scanner and an advanced tool for automatic databaseuploads. The core of the package is an anti-virus engine, which isavailable in the form of a shared library. It is contemplated, however,that any suitable antivirus software program can be used by the systemof the invention, including, but not limited to, McAfee, Symantec'sNorton Antivirus, CA Antivirus, BitDefender Antivirus, and FriskSoftware's F-Prot. After determining that the files do not containmalicious code, the documents can be saved to the transient web server150 and stored on the transient database 155, through a firewall 125.

It is contemplated that any suitable firewall can be used in the presentsystem. Firewall 125 may be, but is not limited to, network layer (orpacket filter) firewalls, stateless firewalls or firewalls that filterinformation based on one of many parameters. The firewall may be one ofmany commercially available firewalls including, but not limited to, aCisco firewall, a Microsoft firewall, Norton Internet Security, andComodo Firewall Pro. In one aspect of the invention, the web servers areavailable behind the first firewall 125, which adds to the security ofthe server environment. All information that is transacted through thefirewall can be ensured to be reasonably secure.

A second firewall 160, which may be the same or different type as thefirst firewall 125, may be operably placed between the internal webserver 170 and the transient web server 150. Anti-virus code 135 mayperform scans of the incoming files on the transient server 150 prior tofurther transferring the files to an internal web server 170. Theinternal web server 170 may be operably connected to an internaldatabase 180. The internal database 180 may comprise one or morephysical databases. The internal database 180 provides storage ofinformation and files relating to the multi-claimant cases, theclaimants, and any settlement or judgment that affects the reliefafforded to the eligible claimants. In addition, the internal database180 provides storage for information relating to institutions, and endusers.

The company coordinating the claim databases relating to theadministration of the class action lawsuit resolution and thedisbursement of relief can maintain a second user graphical interface175 and an internal network 185, to which internal users' terminals 190a, 190 b, 190 x may be connected. The internal network can be a localarea network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN) and can use a wide varietyof operating systems, including, but not limited to, UNIX, LINUX, MACOS, or Windows (XP, VISTA, etc.) The internal network 185 is operablyconnected to the internal web server 170, which is in turn, operablyconnected to the internal database 180, Information regarding thepending and completed administrations, as well as claimant, end user,and institution information is stored on the internal database 180.

As shown in FIG. 1, the pointer code 130, the anti-virus code 135, andthe first graphical user interface 140 may be located on the transientserver 150. It is contemplated, however, that the pointer code 130, theanti-virus code 135, and the first graphical user interface 140 may belocated on the internal server 170 instead, on both the transient server150 and the internal server 170, or on a remote server (not shown), aslong as the system and method are functional in substantially the mannerdescribed herein.

The figure also depicts the second graphical user interface 175 as beinglocated on the internal server 170. As above, however, the secondgraphical user interface may be located on the transient server 150,both the transient server 150 and the internal server 170, or on aremote server (not shown).

The placement of the pointer code 130, the anti-virus code 135, thefirst graphical user interface 140 and the second graphical userinterface may be determined by several parameters. There is, however, agreater security risk to the system if these objects are located outsideof the firewalls. Conversely, if these objects are all placed withinboth firewalls, either larger and more costly firewalls would berequired, or the system would be slower.

The system may also contain other code 145, and as before, the othercode 145 can be located on the transient server 150, the internal server170, both the transient server 150 and the internal server 170, or aremote server (not shown). This other code can include, but is notlimited to, code for validating a registering institution andinstitutional contact; code for transmitting information identifying aregistering end user to the institutional contact; code to provide linksto the institutional contact that indicate acceptance or rejection ofthe registering end user; code to provide options selected from deletingthe claim, holding the claim, or accepting the claim to theinstitutional contact; code allowing a registered end user to monitorthe status of at least one claim; code allowing the institutionalcontact to monitor the status of at least one claim; code thatfacilitates sending messages relating to deficient claims; code thatfacilitates completing a claim; code for transmitting a message to theinstitutional contact if a claim is not completed within a predeterminedtime period; code for automatically transmitting a message containingthe institutional database record to one or more predesignatedindividuals for review; code providing links indicating acceptance orrejection of the institution; code for providing notice to the one ormore predesignated individuals that the institutional database recordhas been reviewed; and code for notifying the institution of acceptanceor rejection.

FIG. 1 illustrates only one particularized deployment of the invention,without showing all possible permutations of the system. For example,the web server may be implemented as one physical web server or two ormore physical web servers that are interconnected via a load balancer tothe client, or end user, machines, as shown in FIG. 2. The load balancermay be, but is not limited to, a Cisco load balancer, a Barracuda loadbalancer, a Kemp Technologies load balancer, or any other suitable loadbalancer.

FIG. 3A is a flow chart depicting the process of filing a claim by aninstitutional end user. When an end user accesses the system of theinvention, a website home page (not shown) welcomes the end user to theclass action lawsuit claim system of the invention. If the end user hasnot yet registered, he or she is prompted to select an institution towhich the end user is affiliated. The end user will enter the name ofthe institution and/or select from a list of institution names. Thesesteps are illustrated by FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 7 illustrates the entry ofend user information. First, an end user associated with an institution105 or as an individual investor 110 accesses the graphical userinterface 140, which may be a website 305, via the Internet 120 using aclient terminal 115. The end user will then be prompted to register 310or log in 315. If the end user is a new end user, he or she may register310 by associating their information with an institution that has beenpreviously registered 320 and validated 325 with the company that isadministering the multi-claimant proceeding. As exemplified in FIGS.5-7, the end user can then be prompted to enter information for use inuser validation at a later time. Here, an end user can create a profileand/or enter user information, and associate with his or herinstitution. Alternatively, if an end user is already registered, he orshe can log into the system directly and begin filing claims orreviewing claim status and history. End users can edit their profiles onwebsite pages (not shown). It is contemplated that an end user may viewand modify information related only to that information entered into thedatabase by that end user. In addition, there is an option to edit aninstitution database record that can be selected (not shown). However,this action can only be performed by a person affiliated with theinstitution and designated as the institutional contact. It iscontemplated that there may be more than one institutional contactdesignated. The institutional contact may view and modify informationentered by end users associated with that institution. However, whilethe institutional contact may view all information, he or she might nothave the right or ability to modify all the information, depending uponthe rights of access granted by an administrator.

The administrator will have the ability to view and modify allinformation relating to the lawsuit resolution. This informationincludes, but is not limited to, institutional information, lawsuitinformation, end user information, claimant information, transactioninformation, and lawsuit resolution information.

Of course, because of the robustness of the method, an administrator, aninstitutional contact, and/or an end user can easily navigate betweenmultiple lawsuit, multiple claimants, and multiple transactions, wherethey may view input, or modify the records in a single session,depending upon their authority and the rights granted to them.

The institution information comprises an institutional database recordthat contains institutional contact information. The institutionalcontact can log in to the website 330, monitor claim status 335, editthe institutional database record 340, as well as enter and file claims345. As shown in FIG. 4, the institutional database record may includethe institution's name and address, institutional contact, andadditional information regarding the institution.

When an institution 105 registers (e.g., a bank named Rock Solid Bank),a message 210 containing links to the institutional database record 213and supporting documents 215 can be automatically transmitted a messageto one or more predesignated individuals for review. The supportingdocuments can include, but are not limited to tax forms, SEC forms, andinstitutional records relating to the lawsuit. As shown in FIG. 3B, themessage may contain links 220 and 225 indicating acceptance or rejectionof the institution. After one of the predesignated individuals reviewsthe institutional database record and accepts or rejects the institution105, notice 230 can be provided automatically to the other individualsthat the institutional database record has already been reviewed 235. Amessage 236 to the institutional contact can also be sent, informing theinstitutional contact of the status of the registration request 237.

FIG. 3C illustrates messages that are transmitted to an institutionalcontact from the system relating to the approval of an end userregistration. The internal server 170, transmits data to an internaldatabase 180 end user data 241, 242, 243 is stored. When an end userrequests affiliation with an institution (e.g., Rock Solid Bank), thesystem will automatically send a message 245 to the institutionalcontact at Rock Solid Bank asking for approval or rejection of the enduser, e.g., Joe User 242. The message 245 can contain links to eitheraccept 250 or reject 255 Joe User 242 as a registered end user, whichwould send information regarding that acceptance or rejection back tothe web server (perhaps via the firewalls and intermediate server). Inone aspect, if an end user is rejected, the profile relating to that enduser may be deleted, as also illustrated in FIG. 3C. Alternatively, ifan end user is not approved, the database will retain the end userinformation and his or her unapproved status (not shown).

In this aspect, the system and method as described allow an end user toregister and immediately access information and file claims. There is nowait period necessary where the end user must be validated. Rather,validation of the end user can be performed after the initialregistration. In the event that an institution or the administratingcompany cannot validate an end user, the administrating company caneither delete the files inputted by the non-validated end user, or givean institution options regarding the files. For example, the institutioncan request that the administrating company hold the information for aspecified period of time, or until the end user (the same or a differentone) can be validated and the claims processed correctly.

After the user logs in 315 to the website 305, he or she can be broughtto the home page for filing claims 345. At this stage, if the user needshelp with filing claims, he or she can either access a contact page 350for information on how to contact the lawsuit administrators or access ahelp page 355 that houses a frequently asked question informationsource. The end user can also modify their profile 318. At this point,an end user can be prompted to select between filing a claim orreviewing the history and status of a previously filed claim (notshown). FIG. 8 exemplifies a screen that gives the end user access toFAQs, contact information, and help pages. FIG. 8 also illustrates enduser instructions for the filing of a claim or claims.

Prior to filing one or more claims, the end user is prompted to select acase 360. As shown in FIG. 9, cases can be selected by entering the nameof the case directly or by searching via the alphabet. Once the end userhas navigated the graphical user interface 140 to a specific case (seeFIG. 10), the end user can then file claims by inputting caseinformation 365 relating to that particular lawsuit. This informationmay include, but is not limited to the case status, case due dates, thedefendant and plaintiff information, when the ease was filed and inwhich court, as well as any settlement or judgment amount. It iscontemplated that the case information can include any informationdeemed pertinent to the lawsuit.

After entering the information relating to the claim, as depicted inFIG. 11, the end user can then attach the supporting documentation files370. Here, there are four supporting documents required, although thisnumber may vary by the case. The supporting documents can include, butare not limited to a signed proof of claim form, a signatureverification document, a data verification document and an authorizationdocument. Other documents that may be required include, but are notlimited to, stock certificates, verification of sales and purchases. Itis contemplated that any supporting documents required by the specificlawsuit can be filed. As discussed above, the file paths entered intothe system via the end user terminal 115 actually will have pointersassociated with them by pointer code 130, which then may be used to scanthe information and documentation for malicious code after uploading tothe web server and database. As shown in FIG. 12, after the end userenters the information and uploads the supporting files, the user canreceive confirmation that the claim filing and supporting files werereceived 380. The end user can then log out 385 of the system.

By way of example, and not of limitation, it is not unusual for aninstitution to file claims on behalf of tens or even hundreds ofclaimants in numerous lawsuit resolutions. In addition, for manyclaimants, their claims may be based upon multiple transactions, i.e.,there is no technical limit to the number of transaction upon which aclaim can be based, nor to the number of claimants. Table 1 is a treeshowing potential relationships between institutions and claimants andtheir transactions for class action lawsuits. The present systems andmethods support the institution's ability to track all of the claimsfiled on behalf of all of its customers (the claimants), including theunderlying transactions, by presenting a graphical user interface thatprovides streamlined interaction and access to this information tofacilitate the record keeping of each institution in regards to itsparticipation in the administration of the resolution of one or morelawsuits. The institution may file claims in two or more lawsuitresolutions and manage these claims in each lawsuit resolution formultiple claimants.

As shown in FIGS. 13-15, the claimant information may be uploaded to thesystem 100 as batch transaction files. FIG. 13 depicts the screen wherefile path to the batch file may be indicated for upload as batchtransaction files. The batch file to be uploaded can be located bybrowsing the end user's computer to locate the desired document or file.FIG. 14 depicts one interface for providing the formatting of that batchtransaction file so the system can correctly load the files. FIG. 15depicts how control totals for the batch files are uploaded.

Once the claim files are fully uploaded to the transient databasethrough the first firewall, they can be moved to a folder for scanningand uploading through the second firewall. After the files are copied tothe internal database, they can be verified to have migrated through thefirst and second firewalls safely and completely. Once the verificationis performed, the files can then be deleted from the transient database.

Returning to FIG. 3A, after selecting a case 345, the end user canaccess previously filed claim information, including the claim historyand status 390, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17. Each specific submissionshould contain case information, status details, claim numbers,transaction information, supporting documentation and files, anddeficiencies (if any). Here, an end user can provide any informationthat is missing from a deficient claim to complete the claims 395. Afterreviewing the information and updating the same, the end user can then,as above, log out 385.

After a registered end user has completed at least the initial filing ofat least one claim, the system may transmit one or more messagesrequesting additional information, or impending deadlines relating tothe lawsuit. FIG. 3D illustrates two of the potential messages that maybe sent. Message 260 informs a registered end user (Joe User 242) thatcertain claims are missing documents. Message 265 informs a registeredend user that the deadline for filing and completing claims isapproaching. If the claim is not completed within a predetermined timeperiod, a message 270 can be transmitted to the institutional contact.It is contemplated that these messages may include legal disclaimers, aswell as other terms and conditions relating to those messages.

If a registered user has forgotten a password during subsequent log-ins,a “forgot password” system can be incorporated into the system. Thesystem of the invention comprises a help section. Information related tothe system can be located by using the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)section (not shown). If additional help is needed, a section withcontact information is also included (not shown). After completing allthe necessary procedures, an end user will log out of the system of theinvention, which will then note that the user has been logged out (notshown).

As illustrated in FIGS. 18A-18B and 19A-19B, when the companycoordinating a multi-claimant proceeding sets up a specific case filerelating to a class action lawsuit, an internal user will begin a newproject. Information relating to the class action lawsuit is enteredinto the internal database. This information can include, but is notlimited to, the court, the case number, the lead plaintiff, theplaintiff and defense counsels, court documents, the judge, importantcase dates, and any settlement or judgment information.

FIGS. 20A-20H illustrate a sample database record for the system andmethod of the invention. Included are data collection records, factsheetdata records, staging tables on a scheduler for data collection,initialization tables on a scheduler for data collection, final transfertables on a scheduler for data collection, and tables used in a webportal.

The foregoing description and drawings merely explain and illustrate theinvention and the invention is not limited thereto. While thespecification in this invention is described in relation to certainimplementation or embodiments, many details are set forth for thepurpose of illustration. Thus, the foregoing merely illustrates theprinciples of the invention. For example, the invention may have otherspecific forms without departing from its spirit or essentialcharacteristic. The described arrangements are illustrative and notrestrictive. To those skilled in the art, the invention is susceptibleto additional implementations or embodiments and certain of thesedetails described in this application may be varied considerably withoutdeparting from the basic principles of the invention. It will thus beappreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise variousarrangements, which, although not explicitly described or shown herein,embody the principles of the invention and, thus, are within its scopeand spirit.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for filing and monitoring electronicclaim submissions via a computer server in a multi-claimant proceedingcomprising: receiving a registration request from an institution on acomputer server; registering the institution on the computer server tocreate an institutional database record, the institution having aprimary institutional contact; receiving information from theinstitution via the primary institutional contact regarding a pluralityof claimants, each claimant having at least one associated claim, andstoring the information regarding the plurality of claimants and theassociated claims on a database operably associated with the computerserver; receiving files supporting each of the claims associated withthe plurality of claimants on the computer server; and storing the filessupporting each of the claims associated with the plurality of claimantsin the database operably associated with the computer server.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising automatically transmitting amessage containing a request for acceptance of the institution to one ormore designated individuals on an approval team.
 3. The method of claim2, further comprising accepting the institution.
 4. The method of claim3, wherein the message includes the institutional database record. 5.The method of claim 4, further comprising validating the primaryinstitutional contact.
 6. The method of claim 5, further comprisingallowing the validated primary institutional contact to monitor thestatus of each of the plurality of claimants' at least one associatedclaim.
 7. The method of claim 5, further comprising allowing thevalidated primary institutional contact to edit the status of each ofthe plurality of claimants' at least one associated claim.
 8. The methodof claim 5, further comprising allowing the validated primaryinstitutional contact to delete a claim, hold a claim or accept a claim.9. The method of claim 5, further comprising the computer servertransmitting messages to the primary institutional contact, if a claimis deficient.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the computer serverincludes a transient server located between a first and a secondfirewall, and further comprises: uploading the files to the transientserver, storing the uploaded files on the transient database, scanningthe uploaded files for malicious code prior to uploading to an internalserver through the second firewall, and storing the uploaded files on aninternal database.
 11. A system for filing and monitoring electronicclaim submissions via a computer server in a multi-claimant proceedingcomprising: a user interface hosted by the computer server directed toinstitutions and a primary institutional contact across apublicly-accessible computer network for displaying information about amulti-claimant proceeding and facilitating inputting of informationregarding institutions and a plurality of claimants, each claimanthaving at least one associated claim, and facilitating uploading offiles by the institution via the primary institutional; a first databaseoperably connected to the user interface; and code located on thecomputer server for associating pointers with uploaded files supportingeach of the claims associated with the plurality of claimants.
 12. Thesystem of claim 11, further comprising: anti-virus code located on thecomputer server for scanning the uploaded files for malicious code byfollowing the respective pointers allowing each of the files to bescanned by the anti-virus software for malicious code after beinguploaded to the computer server.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein thecomputer server includes a transient server operably connected to atransient database, both located between a first and a second firewall,and an internal server operably connected to an internal database behindthe second firewall.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the anti-viruscode scans the files while they reside on the transient database,further comprising code for sweeping scanned files from the transientdatabase operably through the second firewall to the internal database.15. The system of claim 14, further comprising code to accept aregistering institution and validate a primary institutional contact.16. The system of claim 15, further comprising code allowing thevalidated primary institutional contact to monitor or edit the status ofeach of the claims associated with the plurality of claimants.
 17. Thesystem of claim 16, further comprising code that facilitates sendingmessages to the primary institutional contact relating to deficientclaims.
 18. The system of claim 17, further comprising code forautomatically transmitting a message for acceptance of the institutionto one or more designated individuals on an approval team.
 19. Thesystem of claim 18, wherein the message contains an institutionaldatabase record.
 20. The system of claim 11, wherein at least one of theassociated claims is based upon multiple transactions.